#michalszulc

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now on imutemagazine.com • #webitorial “Wide Awake” shot by @dominik_lozinski for @imutemagazine • #model | @anna_cholewa @ @divisionmodel #stylist | @aleksandja #makeup | @micherabeauty • see the full story on #imutemagazine goo.gl/1vx3Bv • #nofilter #fashion #moda #style #editorial #photo #photoshoot #imute #weave #mayabaczynska #michalszulc (at Warsaw, Poland)

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Michal szulc #michalszulc #ModaLisboalegacy (em modalisboa legacy)

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#michalszulc #fashionweek #2013 #lodz

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fashion week lodz: michał szulc

(images via marek makowski)

hmm.  so i'm almost...not sure how to respond to this one.  after two solid seasons at fashionphilosophy fashion week lodz that had me all-but-swooning at the altar of michał szulc (for a/w 2011 & s/s 2012) and his slightly-brooding-cool-loner-girl aesthetic, he suddenly turned around last season (a/w 2012) with a collection that felt a little more posh and commercial, as if joining the ranks of the upperclass societal types that once rejected him and led to some of his best work (or, at least, this is how i've come to think of all of it). which isn't ever to say homeboy isn't skilled.  it's just a bit like when your one friend in school that liked experimental tuneage with you...suddenly starts listening to the popular kids' music and saying 'hi' to them as they pass.  although she still claims to be your friend and like as she always did...you can feel the floor beginning to waver beneath you.

anyway, for me, mr. szulc's s/s 2013 range, 'violent', was like the next step in that inevitability: when you suddenly find out (though for some reason, she declined to tell you herself, making things seem all the more suspicious) that your friend happened to go to the cinema with one of the clique-y girls.  in other words, it was an active show, with plenty of pieces that felt as though they'd been sourced from hip hop origins, and the best fashion blog (should we be offended at that name here?) announced that (in case you didn't get this already), the presentation was filled with "sportswear inspired silhouettes."

interestingly, on a facebook page that also includes the designer's official lookbook photos for the collection, the write-up announced some nonsense about how "these images have become a commentary on the reality around us," leading me to wonder if this is the manner in which the designer is going to try to justify his sudden turnaround.  not that he needs to justify anything, but all the same, he has suddenly done an about-face when it comes to his aesthetic, and for those of us who had been fans of his more brooding, layered look, this might be something of a hard sell, especially when given that there wasn't a lot that was, yannow, like new here.

yet on the other hand, there are probably a good number of girls that will come newly to the designer's atelier, and bralet-type tops and zebra stripes always have kind of built-in audiences, no?  anyway, sites like the polish cogdziezaile lauded it as (trans.) "very cheering," so there you go. the weirdos like us will just have to miss his layered, black, and asymmetrical days. the new michał szulc was all about bold hues, and the polish site kobieta (which, incidentally, also was pleased with the outcome) announced that (trans.) "(t)he surprise [was that] there were two strong colours: turquoise and pink," and we got plenty of foil-y metallic silver for good measure, as well.

anyway, i suppose we can all take some comfort, at least, in the fact that the clothes were well made: the website la mode noted that he worked largely with natural materials like coated cotton, silk, and taffeta, while adding that oversized skirts and dresses were the main story within the show. but!  we also saw plenty of other pieces (sometimes with little to do with one another, which was another issue i kind of had here, as i did a bit last season--these two collections have coalesced less nicely than his prior shows): bomber and tuxedo jackets, skinny trousers, leggings, shirtdresses, anoraks, elastic-waisted shorts, menswear-style shirting, pleat skirts, the aforementioned bralets, and puffy pants.

now, i want to make sure to mention that i did like some of the pieces--particularly the pale blue-and-navy piped shirts and shirtdresses (as above and at top) that cropped up now and again throughout, and which had a certain tokyo flavour to them; if the designer had taken more time to experiment with fleshing out these ideas, i could well have loved the show.  but on the other hand, he then tossed so many other ideas into the ring, with sometimes metallics (or patent shininess, which seemed to have little to do with anything else), some flowing skirt moments contrasting with the tennis/cheerleader-esque pleats, straight-up evening gowns, and so many different varieties of jacket that at some point my eyes blurred (really, was he trying to hit every style in the book as some sort of a graduation requirement or something?).

anyway, and interestingly (to me, at least), though no one really thought to do much in-depth analysis, the closest anyone got was fashion magazine blog, which--though they did like the show, it must be allowed--ended their write-up with the comment that (trans.) "(t)his looks great for the standard, rather than any great achievement."  so, if i can analyse for a moment, it seems that they're saying, for a sporty show, it was a nice job.  for anything else...not so much to see here. and okay.  but really, i want to ask you to look deeper, to compare it with the designer's work of a year or two ago.  how does it compare? doesn't it feel he's regressing, getting more random than moving forward?  is this what success for a designer means? i'll let you think on that for a moment as you look at some of his old work...then come back and tell me you're not hoping for something a little more like the a/w 2011 show come next season (check out additional show images at elle).

(see the collection video here)

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lodz fashion week: michał szulc

(images via marek makowski)

well.  like all things that eventually, eventually turn over here at opt, it is finally time for us to say our goodbyes to lodz fashion week, and it seemed like the right thing to do to close out the proceedings with the a/w 2012 collectio of michał szulc, a designer we've gotten to know a bit over the past few seasons in poland (see a/w 2011 & s/s 2012), and have appreciated as quite a promising talent. 

a year ago, i would say the designer was at his most conceptual, and the past two collections to follow have been substantially more commercial--though it need not follow this be a negative thing.  instead, i'd say mr. szulc is simply resolving just where he stands as a designer, which seems to be somewhere quintessentially polish--clean and modernist, but with hints of flirty femininity and a bit of a dark edge, like a really refined schoolgirl going through her 'dark poetry' phase (though it's certainly a lot more grown up than that--think more chloe's girl circa s/s 2005, but with a healthy appreciation for richard wagner). 

anyway, although no one really pinned down the designer's exact inspiration for fall, alemodelki did note that the range was titled 'the woods', and i was left wondering a bit (especially considering what i've just reflected on, above) if mr. szulc was perhaps inspired by the 2006 patricia clarkson film of the same name--to be sure, we've got schoolgirls, woodsy scenarios, and appropriately dark and macabre happenings.  hmm.  yes, i really believe it could indeed be some of that. 

but back to the collection itself.  the polish site lula explained that (trans.) "(q)uiet but explosive in the form of colour. The designer has [employed] warm wool and leather, and used natural colours: green, dark blue, saturated reds and copper," and cogdziezaile also lavished praise on the palette, exclaiming that there was (trans.) "a whole array of gold sequins that are sure to dominate the season."

finally, the site fashion magazine blog had plenty of praise for the designer's construction--another thing, i'm finding, a lot of the polish labels want to emphasize in lieu of lots of bells, prettypretty prints, embroidery, and the like.  "Very high levels of tailoring can be seen in every detail - the perfect seams, joints, such exquisitely made knitwear, almost invisible, and great designs," (trans.) they rhapsodized. 

and so. mostly, i will say, i was pleased with the proceedings, from the designer's remembering to address a variety of different garments, to his colour palette, to the exceptional outerwear (that sometimes had a bit of a sixties swing--rather like the aforementioned film, which was set in that very decade.  ahem.).  however, if i did have a trifle of a complaint, it would be that sometimes the skirts and dresses got a tad bouncy, a tad...uniformish (and we think we know where that comes from). 

but in all, i'd still say mr. szulc is one of lodz' more promising designers.  he knows when to keep things minimal, but he isn't afraid to spice things up with a bit of flash, an animal print, some colour (all things that sometimes i believe the polish designers are a little too reticent towards utilizing)--it ensures that his range verged on minimal at times, but was never boring. and as we know, it's a very fine line.  in the end, although i would like to see him get a little more avant-y, as he was a year ago, i can't say i'm really displeased.  okay, maybe i'd like his muse to be a 40-year-old next time out, but as for the rest...whatever.  those cuts were just superb (see additional images at styl & marek makowski).

(check out a short video of the runway proceedings here)

updated: with new images

[oneporktaco-blog]

lodz fashion week: michał szulc

(images via marek makowski)

lately i feel as though all we've been doing is discussing new designers, which can of course be quite fun, to find a new favourite thing you didn't previously know existed.  but all the same, it also can be nice to check up on an older discovery, one that was at one time as shocking and exciting as anything you've recently come upon.  thus, it's with pleasure that we now turn to the s/s 2012 collection of polish designer michał szulc, whose work we both first and last saw for the a/w 2011 season was just fine.  the only problem then (and now) was the lack of coverage for the designer, which frankly i don't really understand given his intelligently wearable creations.  or once didn't understand. 

the polish site alemodelki points out that the phrase 'stop a moment' was key in the designer's spring range, quoting him as explaining (trans.) "I always make up my mind at the spur of the moment, inspired by a painting, a collection forms in my head instantly."  for his inspiration, then, they wrote that he was (trans.) "(f)ascinated by the work of Dutch photographer Rineke Dijkstra, which perpetuates the people on the background of the sea, he wanted to put these images on his projects. "  however, the blog be in trend clarifies that the collection's name was actually 'boom boom baltic' (yeah, i don't really get it either) and that it (trans.) "is based on minimalist, simple forms and balanced, although unpredictable fabrics that make that our focus on game textures - transparency and lightness is mixed with opaque, coarse surfaces." 

polish site kobieta notes that ms. dijkstra's seascape photographs directly informed the designer's colour palette for spring, which included slate gray, cadet blue, taupe, black, cerulean, pale sky, white gray, blued amethyst, nudes and pinky flesh tones, indigo, silvery white, khaki, olive, coral, and cornflower.  the site warszawianki points out motifs such as camouflage and (trans.) "little Aztec designs," as well as some batik and tie dye-like patterns, a bit of ombre, and a lot of colour-blocking.  the collection, be in trend says, was (trans.) "(m)ainly dominated by high-quality natural materials."  although the designer didn't appear to focus on any particular piece--pants, dresses, jackets, vests, skirts, blouses, and sweatshirts were included in the collection--there was an airy femininity punctuated by a confident sensuality running throughout, something that was a marked change from last season's dark, slightly macabre mystery girl. 

transparent elements were an important part of the designer's lineup for spring, and when he wasn't showing skin through a sheer skirt, he was cropping tops, or (better yet) simply letting his girls go without.  the statement he was trying to make on their sexuality wasn't always clear, because such moments felt a times like a sharp contrast with the otherwise pretty office-friendly frocks and blazers that often featured intriguing little origami-like folds of line or architectural, sometimes asymmetrical cuts.  there was also a sporty undercurrent that ran along the show, from the oversized sweatshirt-y tops to the tracksuit-y top/pant combos that i'm frankly not quite sure always meshed with some of the utterly professional and quietly elegant and unique aforementioned dresses and jackets. 

ultimately, that the designer is skilled at what he does is obvious, and the man's ability to cut a dress (or it's coordinating coat) shines through as his primary strength.  however, his foray into sportswear was a little perplexing, and if he's trying to become ny label rag & bone, say, i'm not really sure, but i can say that i don't think he'll make it.  tackling the breezy hipster doesn't appear to be his forte (even if it is profitable), and ultimately the collection he produced felt too fractured, leaning into its various corners of 'tongue-in-cheek camo', 'sleek professional', 'sexy urban-ite', and 'cocktails for everyone!' (well that area did reach in a lot of directions).  it's good to experiment, and i applaud him for trying, but i rather thought the him we saw a season ago was more authentic, and it came off in a polished and complete manner. 

of course, i don't like to end on a totally negative note, and i will say that there were a lot of good pieces in-between the mixed and falling-flat stuff.  anything with a more professional edge i'd probably endorse, and a lot of those soft dresses in the lovely shades of ocean-and-sky (such as that midi-length ombre one, second from above) were hits.  so you see, it isn't a lost cause.  i just wish i had my minutes spent looking at those camouflage pieces back.  sigh (see additional images at amelia's magazine).

(watch a polish video interview with the designer here)

updated: with new images

[oneporktaco-blog]

lodz fashion week: michal szulc

(images via marek makowski)

perhaps less covered than some of the others at fashionphilosophy fashion week poland in lodz, michal szulc's f/w 2011 collection was no less impressive, with plenty of wearable offerings sporting unexpected details and a runway presentation that gave way to a much more avant garde feeling than what was, perhaps, actually present. 

titled 'leaving you', the frequently barefoot models (occasionally sporting shiny black kitten-heeled pumps) padded across the runway, hair brushed directly into their eyes to obscure faces (a favourite technique of mine, given that i think we're all--including me--too often preoccupied with who rather than what is on the catwalk). 

"I did not want to annoy, but to force viewers to think about why I chose this stylization.  This collection is not meant to be acetic...More items could distort the show.  And the shoes I resigned because I simply have not found those that fit into the collection," the designer (trans.) explained to gazeta lodz, which may have stripped some mystery from the presentation, but made it no less beautiful. 

typical of many of the polish shows we've recently seen, mr. szulc's offerings were rather dark, with black, deep purple, gray, and ultramarine among the colour choices. some beautiful velvety floral dresses were prime choices, while many of the pieces would function well in the day-to-night scheme of things, both a little daring and sophisticated enough to appeal to more than just the catwalkers' peers.  as lovely as it all was, i only wish i could have seen more. 

(watch some show video here)

updated: with new images